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Prologue.4,786 words
Rainbow Dash's Love Life Limerick (Part 1)2,165 words
How do you lure a zebra from her den?4,032 words
Rainbow Dash's reconciliation and an angry Applejack.4,692 words
A missing ingredient.3,122 words

A missing ingredient.

On approach to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stopped upon hearing beastly snarls and heroic shouts.

"Rainbow Dash?" whispered Scootaloo, to which Apple Bloom replied with a shrug.

"Hi-yah!" With an audible strike, Rainbow Dash's feline foe was allegedly defeated as it yowled in pain and could be heard fleeing.

"Did you see that?!" exclaimed Dash.

"Did you have to be so rough with her?" asked Fluttershy.

"Aw, jeez," murmured Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Dash. "Hey, Sweetie Belle, you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Sweetie's reply sounded shaky.

"Oh, goodness," said Fluttershy. "Now the mother has run off and her cubs are nowhere in sight."

"No worries, Fluttershy. We'll find them." Rainbow Dash paused to take a calming breath. "Head back to Ponyville, Sweetie Belle. And try not to pick up any more stray panthers on your way."

"Eh, sure... Y-you got it. Heh heh."

"Right. Let's go round 'em up, Fluttershy."

"Be more careful, Sweetie Belle," warned Fluttershy.

The sound of hoofsteps could be heard, fading away within a minute. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pushed through the obscuring foliage and found Sweetie Belle standing solemnly in a small clearing.

"There you are, Sweetie Belle," said Scootaloo, examining Sweetie with a scowl. "That's the last time we ever leave you—"

"I'm so glad to see you guys!" Sweetie Belle pulled Scootaloo and Apple Bloom into an uncomfortably tight hug.

"Ah see yer safe 'n sound, Sweetie Belle," grumbled Apple Bloom, resisting the urge to wriggle out of Sweetie's embrace.

"I was so scared, but then Rainbow Dash saved me, and then... oh, it's just so good to see you!" Sweetie Belle squeezed her friends tighter, forcing a "blech" noise from both of them.

"Yeah, that's great," Scootaloo wheezed, struggling to loosen Sweetie's grip. "We're happy to see you, too. Now, could you please stop trying to break us in half?"

"Oh. Sorry." Sweetie giggled, releasing her friends.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo fell to the ground in a heap. Scootaloo stood and dusted herself off. Apple Bloom popped her neck with a twisting motion.

"So, did you guys get all the stuff?" Sweetie Belle smoothed her mane with an almost steady hoof.

"Yeah," answered Scootaloo. "We stashed everything we took not far from here."

"Actually, that ain't all of it," Apple Bloom corrected.

"Ah, seriously?" griped Scootaloo.

"Don't worry. We only need one more ingredient, and then we'll have everything we need to get this potion brewed."

"Alright," said Sweetie Belle, breathing a brief sigh. "Let's go back for it and then get out of this forest."

"Sounds like a plan!" said Apple Bloom.

"Well, alrighty then." Scootaloo followed behind Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's enthused trot at a brisk pace.

"Thank you for inviting me into your home."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders halted a few paces from Zecora's doorstep, having heard the voice of an unfamiliar mare.

"Oh, I always welcome company," came Zecora's reply. "My misfortune is that they do not always welcome me."

"That's a shame. You're just as hospitable as anypony in Ponyville."

"Thank you, dear. Now, tell me again your reason for coming here?"

"Ah, yes, the investigation."

Apple Bloom whispered, "Looks like the police came t' her after all."

"So far, my findings have been few," began Zecora's guest, the Cutie Mark Crusaders now listening closely. "I've determined that the victim entered the forest while being pursued by three ponies. From what I can gather, one of these ponies closed the distance, while the other two deviated from the victim's path."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom fidgeted, though Sweetie Belle remained indifferent.

"I can't be certain about this, but I believe that the three who followed the victim into the forest were roughly her size."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders cringed, beginning to shuffle away from Zecora's hut as silently as possible.

"I knew you'd be a fine tracker," commended Zecora, "though I wonder if you've learned anything of the girl's attacker."

"So far, not much. I found a few scuffs in the dirt and a significant indent in a tree along with some of the victim's hair. Otherwise, I have nothing to go on."

"I see," said Zecora. "This troubles me. What could the perpetrator have planned? Please, I ask that you keep me informed as best you can."

"Of course. But for now, I need to get going."

A wooden creaking could be heard as the investigator exited Zecora's hut.

"Safe travels, friend!" called Zecora. "I hope that you shall bring this mystery to a swift end!"

"Well, ah guess the police took our advice after all," muttered Apple Bloom, surveying the contents of her saddlebag. "We got three ingredients 'fore Zecora came home. We need one more."

"And that is?" asked Scootaloo.

"Uh..." Apple Bloom strapped on her saddlebag. "Ah'm gonna say berries. Yeah, berries."

"Berries," said Sweetie Belle. "You sure?"

Apple Bloom pointed to Sweetie, about to answer. She lowered her hoof, sighing grievously.

"No."

"I guess we've got to get Zecora out of her hut again," said Scootaloo, disinterestedly kicking a rock.

Apple Bloom watched the rock bounce once, then twice along the ground and stop beside a polka-dotted mushroom. She blinked, then smiled.

"That's it!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "Ah remember now!"

Scootaloo looked to where Apple Bloom's attention was focused. "A rock?"

"No!" Apple Bloom hustled to the rock in question, brushing it aside. "A mushroom. That's the final ingredient."

"Great," said Sweetie Belle, lowering her head to the polka-dotted mushroom Apple Bloom had seen. "We'll just get this one here."

"Well, it weren't this mushroom," clarified Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo scoffed with irritation.

"What kind of mushroom do we need?" asked Sweetie, withdrawing from the mushroom she'd nearly plucked from the ground.

Apple Bloom hesitated, gnawing her lip in thought. "It was real... frumpy. I think. Not as smooth as this one."

"Aren't most mushrooms poisonous?" questioned Scootaloo.

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom's gaze wandered to the mushroom at her hooves.

"Then I think we should be one hundred percent sure about what kind of mushroom goes into this potion before we add one."

"Scootaloo's right," said Sweetie Belle. "It would be too dangerous to add anything to this potion that isn't supposed to go in it."

Apple Bloom nodded slowly. "Too dangerous."

"Since we can't go to Zecora for help with this," reasoned Scootaloo, "we'll need to go to the next best thing."

"Right," said Sweetie Belle. "Tracking pigs."

"What?" asked Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both.

"Can't pigs sniff out mushrooms? 'Cause I heard they could do that."

"Well, maybe some pigs," answered Apple Bloom, "but the ones we got at Sweet Apple Acres mostly just roll in mud all day."

"Oh," said Sweetie Belle with an embarrassed giggle.

"I was actually meaning the library," said Scootaloo. "Maybe we can find some books about the Everfree Forest and look for the mushroom Apple Bloom's talking about."

"Great idea!" Apple Bloom began trotting toward Ponyville.

Scootaloo followed behind, Sweetie taking a few steps before pausing.

"Pigs." Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Idiot."

"Sweetie Belle!" called Scootaloo.

"Coming!" She hurried to catch up, afraid of ending up alone again.

Returning to Ponyville, the Cutie Mark Crusaders proceeded to the library. Upon entering they found Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Owlowiscious busily dusting and reorganizing shelves. Twilight looked to the library's first visitors of the day, smiling.

"Hey girls," she greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Just lookin' fer a book," answered Apple Bloom.

"Vampire romance, right?" Spike held out a novel bearing an illustration of two hooves cupping an apple.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders burst into sudden hysterical laughter, taking a few moments to compose themselves.

After a final, breathless chuckle, Scootaloo shook her head. "No."

"Suit yourself," said Spike, turning and shelving the book.

Giggling quietly, Twilight asked, "What are you after?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stepped forward to answer, only to be cut off by Sweetie Belle. "Zecora sent us. She wanted us to find a book about the Everfree Forest."

"Zecora sent for that?" asked Twilight, perplexed. "I'd always assumed she had more knowledge of the Everfree Forest than any books on the subject."

Following Sweetie Belle's lead, Apple Bloom responded, "Zecora thought she might need some reference in case she found anything in the forest she hadn't seen before."

"Sounds reasonable," said Twilight. "Although, I'm not sure how much information any of these guides has. Was there anything specific Zecora had in mind?"

"She did mention mushrooms," answered Scootaloo.

"Mushrooms." Twilight scanned many a shelf with squinted eyes. "Mushroom, mushroom... aha!"

She plucked a fat encyclopedia from a high shelf, gently setting it on the ground before Apple Bloom.

"I happen to know that this particular edition includes contributions from an explorer that spent several years surveying organisms unique to the Everfree Forest. If there's anything in this library that'll help Zecora, you'll find it in there."

"This thing probably weighs more than I do," murmured Scootaloo, apprehensively jabbing at a corner of the elephantine text.

"Not that we don't appreciate ya helpin' us out," said Apple Bloom, "but ah don't think we can haul this thing t' the door, let alone to Zecora's hut."

"Oh, of course not!" said Twilight. "Just find any articles you think might be useful to Zecora, then Spike will happily transcribe them for you."

"'Happily'?" inquired Spike. "I'm not sure Spike should be 'transcribing' anything at all."

"You need the practice," responded Twilight. "It's been over a month since you've written a letter to Celestia, or written anything, for that matter."

"Carpal tunnel, Twilight," said Spike in earnest, wiggling his tiny fingers with a small grin. "You said that you could see the symptoms of carpal tunnel."

"Oh, of all the things I said last night, you remember that?" Twilight laughed with a shake of the head. "I was being overly critical because I was slightly emotionally overwhelmed. You can't seriously think you'll get carpal tunnel."

"What's carpal tunnel?" whispered Sweetie Belle.

"How should ah know?" whispered Apple Bloom in response.

"Fine," dismissed Spike. "I'll write for them. But, Celestia forbid, if I happen to cripple my writing hand, then you owe me a diamond. Not one of those lumps they find in coal mines, either. It'd better be a big, ripe, flawless white diamond."

"Sheesh," muttered Twilight. "Anything else, your majesty?"

"Oh, just go back to shelving books," quipped Spike, crossing to the encyclopedia that lay before the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Owlowiscious chortled at the conclusion of the exchange, perching near the dragon and three fillies.

"Alright," muttered Apple Bloom, opening the massive book, "let's see here."

Her eyes flitted across minuscule text in search of the mushroom they sought, while Spike watched her with an indifferent stare, arms folded and claws clacking against his elbow.

"Ah think ah found somethin'." Apple Bloom's hoof settled below the text, Everfree Truffle. "Page four twenty-six."

With a grunt, Apple Bloom turned a large stack of pages at once, then began flipping single pages in search of the passage.

"Here it is!" Apple Bloom drew close to the page, her nose nearly pressed against the paper as she skimmed the article. "'Known for its remarkable size and curious hallucinogenic effects, the Everfree Truffle is found only in the remotest areas of the Everfree Forest.' That's it! This is the mushroom we... er... the mushroom that Zecora was wonderin' 'bout."

"Okay then," said Spike, fetching a nearby quill and parchment.

He crouched beside the encyclopedia, reading a few lines at a time, then copying them onto the parchment.

"So, the Everfree Truffle," said Spike. "I met him once. He was a pretty fungi."

Owlowiscious placed a wing on his forehead, uttering a despondent, "Hoo..."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders laughed, if only for irony's sake.

"Alright, that should do it." Spike stood, offering the parchment to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom accepted the parchment and carefully stowed it away in her saddlebag.

"Thanks, Spike," said Scootaloo. "That's all we need. Besides, wouldn't want you to get carpal tunnel by making you write too much."

"See, Twilight?" announced Spike. "Scootaloo cares about me."

"Good for her," candidly replied Twilight. "If you're finished, come help me shelve the rest of these books."

"Okay, okay." Spike sighed, gesturing to the encyclopedia. "That it?"

"Yep," answered Apple Bloom. "See ya'll later."

"See ya. Careful out there."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders promptly exited the library. Spike stooped to close and lift the massive book on the floor, straining and wobbling as the book began to leave the ground. Managing to bring the book to his chest, Spike dropped the encyclopedia, opening to a random page on impact. Groaning with irritation, Spike crouched to try for another lift, pausing to skim the heading of a passage the book had opened to.

"'Equestrian Wild Truffle'," he read aloud. "Didn't the article about the Everfree Truffle say something about that?"

He scratched his cheek.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Constantly referencing to the transcription provided by Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders embarked on a hunt for the Everfree Truffle. According to the information they had, the Everfree Truffle could only be found in the very darkest regions of the Everfree Forest, and only grew on felled Everfree Willows. Politely waiving Scootaloo's suggestion that they find one of the many living Everfree Willows, chop it down, and grow the fungus themselves, the Cutie Mark Crusaders journeyed deep into the forest. Deeper than they ever had before. They were now entering a patch of dense overgrowth, the sun's light becoming scarcer by the minute.

"What time is it?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I'd prefer not to be stuck here after dark."

"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle," answered Scootaloo. "If any trouble comes our way, we can always count on a deus ex Rainbow Dash."

"Ah'm with Sweetie Belle," said Apple Bloom. "The Everfree Forest's a differ'nt beast at night."

"Well, then we'd better hurry." Scootaloo studied the canopy overhead. "Think you can read that in this light?"

"Don't need to," answered Apple Bloom. "Ah remember the important details. It's dark enough that the Everfree Truffle can grow here. Now we just need t' find—"

"Oof!" Thunk.

"—a tree."

"Nice work, Sweetie Belle!" congratulated Scootaloo.

"Thanks," grumbled Sweetie.

"Okay, let's check fer the Truffles," instructed Apple Bloom.

"Need a little help?" condescendingly asked Twilight, magically lifting the book with ease.

"I could have gotten it!" snapped Spike.

"Of course you could have." Twilight smirked as she skimmed over the pages the encyclopedia had opened to. "You said that the entry on the Everfree Truffle mentioned Equestrian Wild Truffle?"

"Yeah, it did." Spike straightened up, returning to book shelving. "All it said was that the Equestrian Wild Truffle can grow under the same conditions and could easily be mistaken for the Everfree Truffle."

"Ah, I see." Twilight closed the encyclopedia, replacing it on the shelf it belonged on. "Zecora has a discerning eye when it comes to this sort of thing. I'm sure she'll be able to tell the difference."

"Like I said," said Spike. "Nothing to worry about."

"How much do we need?" asked Scootaloo, her grimace obscured by the darkness as she scraped at the soft fungus lining the felled tree.

"Ah don't know," answered Apple Bloom. "Just get what ya can."

"Open the bag!" commanded Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom opened her saddlebag without question, moving to Sweetie's silhouette. Sweetie Belle appeared to be standing on her hind legs, forelegs carrying a large cluster of the fungus as she toddled toward Apple Bloom. With a grunt, Sweetie Belle dumped her load of truffles into Apple Bloom's saddlebag.

"Will that do it?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Seein' that ah can barely close mah bag," Apple Bloom said, compacting the deposited truffles with her hoof, "ah'd say that's enough."

"Great!" shouted Scootaloo. "Let's make like a tree and leaf!"

So the three left the darkness and began the journey for home.

Author's Note:

In light of a tone considerably more comedic than I'd intended, this story is now a Comedy, as well as a Romance and Adventure.

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